the binna binna man has lots to say and most of it can be applied to all of us, not just the aboriginal reader or listener. he talks about what makes people strong, where they get their security and we all have to think about that and most of us say that it is our family so we need to protect and value that.
the binna binna man says that some things are to be valued above everything and to show that says that you should never kill your totem (p26), no matter how hungry you are, no matter what.
most of what he says we hear through popeye bobby when he tells the story of his night watching over shandelle, listening to the binna binna man and the ancestors. he tells us to value ourselves and to have confidence in ourselves when he says "be who you are" (p73). he says to remember your past, not to forget where you come from and that you need to listen to the ancestors with both your heart and your head. we all need to think of our own families like this, remembering and valuing where we come from.
the binna binna man gives his people strength by giving them an idea of their past and a sense of belonging. he reminds the people of the old ways, of the ancestors and of the need to get the dirt of their land under their fingernails. he gives strength by telling them to listen to their girragundji and to behave in certain ways - even if it means the boy does this through fear of the binna binna man. he gives strength by trying to draw the old people and young people together, telling the young to listen to their elders and the old people to value the young. he wnats to draw the families together, not like it was the night the adults were drinking and fighting like "grog dogs" while shandelle and other young ones were doing what they wanted away from the control of the adults. the binna binna man knows that his people need strength to remember who and waht they are because he knows that "if you forget you die."
